Chapter 26 Luca
The pull hit me like a fist to the sternum. I was halfway through the ridge patrol when it snapped taut. I held my breath feeling my chest tighten at the slight intake of breath.
It was Aria.
I felt a raw feeling flooding the bond: confusion, a spike of fear, and the quickening of her pulse like she’d just realized she was lost. My wolf lurched forward so hard I staggered, claws scraping inside my skin.
She’s in the woods. Not near the path but alone. We must do something, Luca! She could be hurt or worse...
My vision tunneled and every leaf rustle and shift of wind suddenly screamed danger. My wolf didn’t wait for my permission. He shoved, heat flooding my limbs with muscles twitching with the need to shift and find our mate. I braced a hand against the nearest pine, the bark biting into my palm.
“Not now,” I growled low. “Not like this.”
He didn’t care. To him the bond was a siren, her fear was a beacon, and nothing else mattered. The memory of her at the diner some nights ago flashed: wide eyes, trembling fingers and the smell of her worry. My wolf remembered it like an open wound and wouldn’t let it happen again.
I forced a breath, slow and ragged. “She’s human and doesn’t need a wolf crashing through the trees.”
My wolf snarled in answer. We must protect her, NOW!!
The bond pulsed again stronger this time. A fresh wave of her emotion rolled through me: disorientation, rising panic, and the quick thud of her heart against her ribs. She was moving deeper not toward safety. I cursed under my breath and broke into a run.
The trees blurred past. I didn’t shift but my senses were already bleeding wolf, scent layering so thick I could taste pine and damp earth and her milk and honey. I angled left, cutting through underbrush and following the invisible thread of the bond. The forest thickened moonlight fracturing through branches and I heard her footsteps, fast and uneven, twigs snapping under sneakers and beneath that, something else.
Ther was a low rustle.
My wolf bared his teeth inside me. I burst into a small clearing just as she stumbled out from the opposite side. Her hair was wild, hoodie sleeve torn, and eyes wide with the kind of fear that makes your stomach drop. She didn’t see me at first as she was looking back scanning the dark behind her like she expected something to lunge.
Then she saw the wolf. It let out a huge growl and she froze. My wolf took over and I closed the distance in three strides, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her behind me. She gasped stumbling into my chest. The contact was electric and I felt every inch of her skin on mine, her pulse hammering against my fingers, and the warmth flooding through the bond like a struck match. The rogue wolf snarled in a guttural way and melted back into the trees. It was gone in an instant.
I didn’t let go of her wrist. I just couldn’t. My heart was slamming so hard I felt it in my throat. She was really shaking, small tremors running through her arm into mine. I turned slowly and took her hands.
“Aria,” I said, voice rougher than I meant. “You okay?”
She stared up at me, breath coming in short bursts. Moonlight caught her wide and glassy pupils. “Luca?”
“Yeah.”
She swallowed. “There was something following me. I think it was a wolf and it was watching me.”
“I know.”
Her free hand fisted in my shirt. “It wasn’t just a normal wolf.”
I made circles on her back. “It’s okay.”
She exhaled shakily. “I got turned around. I thought I knew the path back but—”
“Shh, you’re safe now.”
She nodded but her fingers still stayed curled in the shirt over my chest. The bond hummed between us undeniable and every point of contact burned: her wrist in my hand, her knuckles against my sternum, the way her breath ghosted across my chest. I should have let go but I didn’t instead I lifted my other hand and brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. My thumb grazed her temple and she lifted her gaze to mine.
The air between us thickened and my eyes flicked to her mouth. I tried to resist the pull but it was too coaxing. I leaned in before I could talk myself out of it my forehead almost touching hers.
“Luca…” she whispered but didn’t move.
Her breath mingled with mine, shaky and sweet, and I felt her hands slide up to my collar, clutching just enough for me to feel her want. A tiny tilt of her chin closed the distance even more.
So I kissed her. A soft press of her lips against mine felt electric enough to punch every ounce of air from my lungs and make my wolf let out a low satisfied growl in my chest. When I pulled back, her lips were still parted and eyes wide like she couldn’t believe what just happened. Honestly? I couldn’t either.
A twig snapped and we jerked apart. Her eyes flew wide and I scanned the trees. It was just the wind but the moment was gone. She stepped back fully, her hand lifting unconsciously to her lips like she wasn’t sure what had just happened.
I swallowed hard. “We should get you home.”
She nodded in a jerky manner. “Yeah.”
But neither of us moved for another heartbeat then she turned and I fell into step beside her, keeping my body between her and the forest. After that kiss, I knew bone-deep and wolf-deep that nothing would ever feel the same again.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
That first kiss finally happened and it was EVERYTHING 🤭 only for the woods to remind them danger is still out there… my heart😭. What do you think—does Aria pull away tomorrow and pretend it never happened, or does she lean in harder? Drop your predictions in the comments. How many chapters before they get a real, uninterrupted kiss? Till then my lovelies♥️.